


just your smile alone makes me breathe

by aominedaikis



Series: breathless until the end [3]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Future Fic, M/M, Pro Basketball Player Aomine Daiki, Slice of Life, but there is no basketball being played actually, in which akashi moves to america and eats ramen with aomine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24752524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aominedaikis/pseuds/aominedaikis
Summary: And there he is, Cleveland Cavaliers’ power forward Aomine Daiki, standing in Seijuurou’s kitchen with a bag of takeout ramen settled on the island counter in front of him.
Relationships: Akashi Seijuurou/Aomine Daiki
Series: breathless until the end [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1749178
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	just your smile alone makes me breathe

**Author's Note:**

> title from day6's better better.
> 
> if you've read any of the other fics in this series, this one is set prior to the events in the first fic. a prequel, if you will. if you haven't, this works just fine as a standalone fic too, although it _is_ kind of vague considering that this is just some slice of life fic in a larger verse.

His belongings—still neatly packed in boxes, exactly like how he had left them with the moving company back in Japan—are already sitting in his apartment when Seijuurou enters his new home.

This is exciting, he has to admit. America is a whole untapped potential. _The American market would be invaluable_ , he had said during the board meeting that started it all. His mind had been made up the second he said it. It’s without question that moving here would be the best decision he could’ve made.

Here, he’d have the chance to reshape an entire empire with the palm of his hands. It’d be like Teikou, like Rakuzan, like captaining the Tokyo University basketball team. Seijuurou could do this again with the Akashi Corporations’ new branch.

He’s built kingdoms from the ground up before. What’s another one to conquer?

He flicks the light switch on, even though it’s only one in the afternoon and daylight still filters through the floor-length window on the other side of the room. The overhead lights in the living room come to life to accentuate the new couch he ordered last month.

He had called Daiki to ask him to pick up the spare keys from the real estate agent’s office and be at the apartment for the couch’s delivery. A week later Daiki had sent him a photo of his new couch, followed by, _Your apartment doesn’t have electricity yet btw._

 _I know,_ Seijuurou had texted him back. _The electrical company said they’ll hook it up sometime next week._ Then, as an afterthought, he added, _Don’t worry. I won’t make the same mistake you did._

The reminder that Daiki had to stay for a week at a hotel upon arriving at Cleveland because he hadn’t gotten his apartment sorted out would never fail to amuse Seijuurou.

Now, Seijuurou notes, with a smile, that he in fact does not make the same mistake Daiki did. The lights are on. The router blinking next to the flatscreen TV indicates that his wifi is hooked up and working. The sink will be running, if Seijuurou decides to head to the kitchen to wash his hands. He unzips his backpack to take out his phone charger and plugs it into the nearest electric socket. His phone comes to life.

Everything is in order, just as it should be.

Seijuurou unlocks his phone to shoot Daiki a message.

**Akashi Seijuurou**  
_Just arrived at my apartment.  
I could use a hand with unpacking._

**Aomine Daiki**  
_are you buying me lunch??  
also reimburse the uber money and i’ll be there in like  
half an hour??_

**Akashi Seijuurou**  
_Consider it done.  
See you._

He finds a ramen restaurant on the delivery app on his phone. It’s rated 4.6 stars. It’ll have to do, for now. He orders two bowls of ramen and a side of gyoza, then puts his phone away to push his suitcase—containing the last of his clothes—into his bedroom.

On the door of his closet he finds a post-it note with Daiki’s messy scrawl, saying, _Happy moving day, I guess. Welcome to Cleveland!_ Underneath it is a photo of the two of them hurriedly tacked onto the door with some blu tack. Seijuurou almost snorts at how incredibly Daiki the gesture is—messy, unpolished, but genuine all the same. Daiki has never been anything but genuine.

He peels the photo away from the closet door, carefully removing the blu tack sticking onto the back of it. He’s going to need to find a picture frame for this, later. Maybe he could ask Daiki for one. It’s the least he could do if he’s gifting Seijuurou with a photo. He reminds himself to ask Daiki about it when he arrives.

The photo is one taken during a previous meeting in America, about six months ago.

Seijuurou’s visited America before—once, twice. This one was from a visit to New York to talk with an investor, conveniently timed to match the Cleveland Cavaliers’s away game against the New York Knicks. He hadn’t told Daiki about visiting, only booked a single ticket for the match and sat himself on the front row of the stadium.

Daiki’s eyes had widened when he finally saw Seijuurou. Then, after the match, when Daiki started to say, “What are you doing—”

Seijuurou had asked, calmly, “Would you like to have dinner with me?”

Daiki hadn’t said no. Just said, “I’m gonna need to go back to the hotel to change into something nice if I’m going to dinner with _you_.”

“That’s fine,” Seijuurou told him. “I’ll make a reservation for later tonight. I’ll take you back to the hotel.”

That night, Seijuurou remembers, the two of them had almost been late to their dinner reservation, too preoccupied with other things in Daiki’s hotel room. That night, when they were finally ready to leave, Daiki had pulled him against his side to take a photo of the two of them in front of the mirror.

“I’m getting into the habit of making memories,” Daiki had said, shrugging when Seijuurou gave him a questioning look.

Seijuurou didn’t think that Daiki was getting into the habit of sharing said memories, too.

He finds that he doesn’t mind that he is.

He tucks the photo into a drawer at his bedside table and goes on about with unpacking. It’s not until later, when he hears someone else moving around in his apartment, that he pauses to walk out of the bedroom. “Daiki?” he calls.

And there he is, Cleveland Cavaliers’ power forward Aomine Daiki, standing in Seijuurou’s kitchen with a bag of takeout ramen settled on the island counter in front of him.

What a sight he is. Seijuurou greets him with raised brows. “How polite of you to barge into my apartment. I would’ve thought that you came to murder me if I didn’t know better,” he says.

Daiki grins at him. “You wouldn’t have let me grab the spare keys if you minded. Also, you’re welcome for picking up your food at the front door,” Daiki replies, his hands sticking into the bag to grab a bowl of ramen. “Nice to see you again, Akashi.”

“It’s nice to see you too,” Seijuurou says drily. “Good to know that you haven’t changed.”

“At least you can count on me to be something familiar in unfamiliar good, old America, right?” Daiki returns easily as he leans over the counter to hand Seijuurou his portion of the food. Seijuurou almost hates how right Daiki is. He accepts his bowl and grabs a pair of chopsticks before settling at the dining table.

“Of course.” Seijuurou’s voice is dripping with sarcasm. It isn’t unkind. “I can always count on the Aomine Daiki to be as selfish as ever, hm? I’m sure you thought that your empty stomach takes priority over making my apartment livable.”

Daiki’s already halfway through chewing his first bite, —he hasn’t even moved off the island counter, still standing as he inhales ramen—but his face lights up.

( For a moment, Seijuurou thinks of another time. Of a middle school match victory, Daiki’s arm wrapped around Tetsuya’s shoulders as his face lights up like he’s won the championship already. Of a high school battle on the court with Kagami Taiga, Daiki’s grin stretching from ear to ear in a way that’s almost feral. Of a meeting in New York, of a smile unlike any that Seijuurou’s ever seen before lips press to his. )

Seijuurou decides that he likes the way Daiki’s face looks like this.

Daiki, to his credit, swallows his food before opening his mouth to speak. “Not selfish,” Daiki says. “Just pleased that you’re in Cleveland because of me.” He grins. He means it as a joke, probably.

Seijuurou looks up from his food. His smile is sharp when he meets Daiki’s eyes. “Who says I’m in Cleveland because of you?”

He’s certain Daiki hears the lie nonetheless.


End file.
